Photos show the U.S. service members killed in a 2021 suicide bombing in Kabul.
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Photos show service members killed in 2017 military plane crash, not 2021 Kabul suicide bombing
If Your Time is short
- These photos show 15 Marines and a Navy corpsman killed in a military plane crash in Mississippi in 2017.
A suicide bombing in Kabul on Aug. 26 killed dozens of people, including 13 U.S. service members. The following day, a grid of photos of men in uniform started to spread on social media.
"Pray for them," one post said. "Sixteen doorbells rang today."
But these photos are from 2017, when 15 Marines and a Navy corpsman were killed in a military plane crash in Mississippi. ABC News aired the grid of photos reporting on the crash that year.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
Featured Fact-check
On Aug. 29, a military transport plane carrying the remains of 11 Marines, a Navy medic and an Army staff sergeant landed in Delaware.
Military Times published their photos, which are different from the photos that appear in the Facebook post. Their names are:
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Espinoza
- Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole Gee
- Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover
- Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss
- Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui
- Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page
- Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario
- Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto Sanchez
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz
- Navy Hospital Corpsman Max Soviak
We rate this post False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Aug. 27, 2021
The New York Times, Suicide bombing in Kabul kills dozens, including 13 U.S. troops, Aug. 26, 2021
The New York Times, Biden receives bodies of service members killed in Kabul bombing, Aug. 29, 2021
ABC News, Marine Corps grounds KC-130T aircraft in wake of deadly crash, July 27, 2017
Military Times, Here are the names of the 13 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan attack, Aug. 28, 2021
The Washington Post, The 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul airport attack, Aug. 29, 2021
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Photos show service members killed in 2017 military plane crash, not 2021 Kabul suicide bombing
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